Friday 22 January 2016

Follow that!


It is difficult to think of a blog to put on today after the successful one yesterday (in terms of the comments I received and the 'conversation' it generated.)   It is good to come up with an idea which gets everyone joining in, isn't it?

Our local paper comes out on a Friday morning and the farmer (who is of course a real local having been born in the very house he lives in now) reads it from cover to cover.   I, on the other hand, tend to rather skim through it just choosing which bits I read.

But a couple of weeks ago a retired local wrote complaining about the minuses of our little market town.   He complained that there wasn't enough parking, that the housing was all taken by incomers who had therefore pushed the prices up and how young people could no longer afford to live here, even if they had been born here.
And how the local traders did well from the incomers while the young couples had to go to the supermarket ( four miles away) to shop.

Today one of the journalists on the paper has answered the complaints in a lightly veiled way - saying that a new estate does seem to have an awful lot of young folk with babies on it, and what a shame it is that the car park is always empty - what a waste of space (you have to pay to park there of course) and that it is awful that you can only buy eleven different kinds of olives in our local deli - and so on.

I suppose there is truth in both sides of the argument, depending on one's age, money, and various other factors.   But it is interesting to see that four semi detached houses were built in our little town a year ago - each put up for sale at £140,000, which by today's standards is probably not all that high a price - and two of them still remain unsold.   I presume that this is because it is difficult for young people to get a mortgage.

As an incomer myself, only moving here upon retirement from teaching in 1987, (early retirement I hasten to add!  I am not quite as old as Methuselah), I can see both sides.   The farmer is quite philosophical about the whole thing and says that everyone has to find their own level.   But I must say there are always plenty of young people, and lots of lovely babies, about.   I think we are still a fairly mixed community.

But I do just wonder, with a two bedroomed bungalow to rent costing over £500 a month - how does any young couple find enough money to put down a deposit on a new house, however 'cheap' it is?   Do you live in a similar place?   I suspect most small towns are the same.

10 comments:

jinxxxygirl said...

Hi Pat.... I'm not sure what the conversion is in money without taking the time to look it up but i can tell you.... in TX before housing went sky high here in the States we paid $45,000 USD for a one acre of land with a 3 bedroom one bath fixer upper house 1600 sq ft in 1998....

We lived in an apartment in TX in 2011 while waiting to move to CA for hubby's job and we got a 2 bedroom for $700 a month

2012 moved to CA for job... had to stay in an apartment for a little while... 1 bedroom, paid $1600 a month....

Still 2012 finally bought a brand new house... 2,150 sq ft , two story, three bedroom , 2 1/2 bath , little postage stamp size yard, in a development for $224,000..

Sold the house 3 years later for $324,000

Retired, moved to Arkansas last year... bought a 1970's fixer upper house with 6 acres of land, near a lake for $247,000

If you can figure out the conversions maybe that will give you some perspective.... ? IMHO housing prices are ridiculous .... We did not mean to buy a brand new home in CA , if you remember Pat it was the only home we could get into and even then hubby had to commute 40 miles each way to work.... We could not afford the homes closer to his work... We put bids on at least 16 houses closer to his work... but it never failed... the houses would not appraise for what the owners wanted...so the bank is not going to give you more money than what the house appraises for right?! So you better have some $$ in your pocket...Our offers were not accepted because someone always came in and offered them $40 - $50,000 over the asking price!!! And 9 times out of 10 it was a foreign buyer... mostly Chinese..It was a crazy experience...

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

it is still just about possible to get a two bed terrace for 5 figures in an acceptable area here. A lot of horrid new builds are going up; ugly with paper thin walls.

We are far too wedded to old style bricks and mortar in the UK, to the extent you can't get a mortgate on something that isn't. Utter nonsense.

Terry and Linda said...

Terry and I were just talking about this yesterday. The start of farming is so costly now, we don't see how anyone can really get started anymore unless they are already working with their dad and granddad. Really sad.

Linda

Joanne Noragon said...

In some parts of this country housing remains depressed, but in others prices are rising to pre Great Recession prices. So, you can settle here inexpensively, but not find a decent job, or be in a part of the country with a robust economy and high prices. I believe that's called basic economics.

Dartford Warbler said...

Our bit of southern England has had ridiculous house price rises in the last few years. It`s very hard for young people without help from family. Renting is crazy. £900 to £1000 per month for a three bedroomed Victorian house in a town road in Bournemouth.

Your town sounds quite balanced to me. A mix of age ranges is good for the community and what a beautiful environment they all have to live in.

Gwil W said...

. . . for a house when I finally return t' reality I'll keep in mind them semis. Be gone by then 'spect. Sound like a bargain to me, especially with such nice folk living in the proximity.

Heather said...

I think it is the same nationwide. I can never understand why a cap isn't put on house prices, or at least some kind of control. We bought a house in Plymouth about 45 years ago and when my husband's job moved us away 5 years later it sold for three times the price. A similar thing happened a few years later when we had to move again. The value of the property doesn't change, just the price. Some renting is dearer than paying off a mortgage but it's getting a mortgage that is the hard part.
By the way, Leyburn was featured in Countryfile last week - I looked for you but couldn't see you!

Tom Stephenson said...

In Bath, a two bedroom hovel will cost you at least £1200 a month to rent.

Gerry Snape said...

Our fight at the moment is to stop THEM knocking down an old pub and building yet another supermarket!! Tomorrow the biggest meeting of locals that we've seen in a long while. Great!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Gwil - you could always buy on of "them semis" now in readiness! Plenty of good walking in the area, as you know, and I would love you to be a neighbour.